Dynamic Data Exchange

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What Does Dynamic Data Exchange Mean?

Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) is a message-based protocol that allows data to be shared between applications running on early versions of the Windows operating system.

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Because attackers have taken advantage of DDE, macros and ActiveX controls to deliver malicious payloads, Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) has effectively replaced Dynamic Data Exchange. Some Microsoft products still support DDE, however, in order to provide newer applications with backwards compatibility.

Techopedia Explains Dynamic Data Exchange

Dynamic Data Exchange is used to share data, issue command and enable real-time queries between two applications. Because it is a message-based protocol, Dynamic Data Exchange does not make use of any code libraries or functions.

How does Dynamic Data Exchange Work?

Dynamic Data Exchange takes advantage of shared memory. It is based on the client and server model — the application requesting the information is known as the client and the application offering the information is the server.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.